


Café au l'amore

by AStrangeDaze (TerraRising)



Category: NU'EST, Produce 101 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Gen, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-11-15 22:11:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11240283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraRising/pseuds/AStrangeDaze
Summary: There's a handsome regular at the coffee shop Minhyun works at that he's crushing on hard, not that he'll ever admit it.Featuring shy idiots in love getting together, random hi-jinks, and more bad coffee puns than anyone should have to put up with.





	1. You're on my mind a latte

**Author's Note:**

> Half atonement for my other 2hyun fic that did not end happily, and half thanks to my lovely friends sending all the Jonghyun and Minhyun videos/pictures my way. All those feels had to go somewhere!

“You’re sulking, what’s wrong?”

 

Minhyun startled, almost dropping the coffee beans he had been loading into the grinder when Dongho snuck up behind him soundlessly. His best friend and co-worker just stared at him with an inquiring look, unaffected by the glare Minhyun shot at him.

 

“I’m not sulking,” he turned back to cleaning up the counter space in the lull between the lunch rush and the afternoon university crowd, “Did you finish up with the pastries yet?”

 

“All done,” Dongho sings, hoping up to sit on the counter, dodging Minhyun’s disapproving swat to the knee and kicking his thigh in retaliation, “You are sulking, don’t try to lie to me. I’ve been through your teenage angst years, _nothing_ you do can get past me.”

 

“I am _not_ ,” Minhyun insists, “why would I be sulking?”

 

“I think I know why you’re sulking,” Dongho warbles out the words with a smirk, glancing at the clock and then leaning forward with a mischievous grin, “It’s 2 o’clock and your mystery man isn’t here yet. That’s why you’re all antsy, isn’t it?”

 

Minhyun scoffed weakly, turning away to reach over and reseal the bag of beans for storage, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Your unsuspecting Prince Charming?” Dongho continued to tease relentlessly, “Mister not-so-tall, dark, and handsome? The one who always sits in the corner with his laptop and a latte, super quiet, you think he’s really cute and keep staring at him when you think no one’s looking?”

 

Minhyun reached over to shove at Dongho, “Will you stop? I do not think he’s cute.”

 

“But alas!” Dongho clasped a hand to his heart dramatically, “The course of true love doth never run smoothly.”

 

“Oh god, stop.”

 

“It’s been three months hence since you first laid eyes on him,” Dongho continued, sweeping his other arm to the side dramatically.

 

“Stop. Why are we friends?”

 

“And you still don’t even know his name!” the other boy announced, slipping off the counter to point reproachfully at Minhyun.

 

“You’ve been hanging out with Seongwoo again, haven’t you?” Minhyun said accusingly, “Why on earth did I introduce you two?”

 

Dongho just grins at him, the bright smile transforming his usually intimidating features into a face that wouldn’t scare a baby, “Now why would you say that?”

 

“Because I have _also_ grown up with you, and this particular brand of drama isn’t your’s,” Minhyun deadpanned, “And Seongwoo is also the only drama student we’re close with and half those lines were like a badly ripped off Shakespeare play.”

 

“Everyone’s a critic,” Dongho complained, “But really, it’s been three months and you never progressed past lowkey staring creepily from behind the counter at that guy you have the hots for. At least go over and offer him a free refill or a complimentary pastry. Start up a conversation, find out his name, ask him on a date, and then ride off into the sunset. It’s easy, what’s the problem?”

 

Minhyun rolled his eyes, “Because it doesn’t work like that and I told you, I don’t have the hots for him.”

 

The wind chime that Seonho had insisted on hanging on the door jangles, echoing in the empty coffee shop. “Oh look,” Dongho smirks, waggling his eyebrows at Minhyun in an exaggerated motion, “speak of the devil and he shall appear.”

 

Minhyun whips around to see Seonho dragging a sleepy looking Guanlin behind him.

 

“ _Hyung!_ ” the younger boy exclaims excitedly, bounding over and around the counter to throw his arms around Minhyun in an enthusiastic hug more suited for if they hadn’t seen each other for months rather than less than a day ago.

 

Minhyun gives Seonho a token pat on the back, too busy glaring daggers at Dongho for the trick he had played.

 

“Don’t have the hots for him, eh?” Dongho snickers, “That was a pretty concerned reaction for someone who doesn’t care.”

 

“You are going to pay for that, I know where you live,” Minhyun threatens, looking substantially less threatening with a teenaged puppy wrapped around him.

 

Guanlin ambled over at a much more sedate pace. “ _Hyung_ ,” he greeted Minhyun and Dongho before turning his attention to the latter with a puzzled frown, “What does ‘hots’ mean? Does Minhyun _hyung_ have a fever?”

 

Dongho guffawed, “No Guanlin-ah, it’s not literal, it’s slang for finding someone attractive.”

 

Guanlin nods slowly, as if the motion alone would help him file the knowledge away safely, moving to the backroom to drop off his and Seonho’s backpacks and change for their upcoming shift. Seonho who hasn’t let go of Minhyun, determined to cling on to the older boy for as long as he is allowed to, perks up and his hyungs could practically see a tail wagging behind him, “Oh, Minhyun _hyung_ likes someone? Is it the Onibugi _hyung_?”

 

Both of the older boys frowned, confused, “Onibugi _hyung_?”

 

Seonho nodded as it everything made sense. “He sits over there,” he pointed towards the corner, “He has an onibugi phone case, and he wore a shirt with an onibugi on it once too. And every time he comes in, Minhyun _hyung_ 's face goes like this.”

 

Seonho lifted a finger to prod the corner of Minhyun's lips into a half-smile in demonstration "Like that," the younger boy nodded decisively, "And he always looks at the corner when Onibugi _hyung_ is there."

 

“Yes, yes,” Dongho confirms, ducking away from Minhyun’s attempt to slap a hand over his mouth and stop him from talking, “Do you know him well, Seonho-ah?”

 

Seonho just shakes his head, “No, he’s always so quiet, but Guanlin _hyung_ knows him!”

 

“Who do I know?” Guanlin reemerges and tugs at Seonho until he unravels his vice grip on Minhyun, jamming an apron over the younger boy’s head and then reaching around nonchalantly to tie it at the back for him.

 

Seonho just transitions from clinging to Minhyun to leaning on Guanlin who's practically hugging him for all intents and purposes, content to let his _hyung_ pamper him. Guanlin ties off the apron efficiently and then draws back, swatting at Seonho’s bottom playfully.

 

“Seonho called him Onibugi _hyung_?” Dongho questioned, leaning against the opposite side of the counter, placing the scuffling boys between himself and Minhyun.

 

“Oh! Jonghyun _hyung_ ,” Guanlin nods, sidling up to Dongho who throws an arm over the younger boy casually, “Yeah I know him; he helped me with my Hangul when I first got to Korea.”

 

“Oh, yeah?” Dongho continued, trying not to give away his mirth as he watched Minhyun’s focus hone in on the name they had just been provided with, “Jonghyun is it? How did you meet him?”

 

Guanlin rubbed at the back of his neck, thinking, “I ran into him at a bookstore? My friends told me that it might be easier to practice reading Hangul if I was interested in what I was reading so I went to look for something. I was trying to find a comic that looked cool but couldn’t really read the titles; Jonghyun _hyung_ saw me and offered to help. When he found out I was new to the language, he taught me some tips on how to pronounce the words.”

 

Dongho leaned over to nudge at Minhyun, “Cute, mysterious, and a heart of gold, better get on that!”

 

Minhyun made an aborted mission to smack him when Dongho laughed and pulled their two baby-chick coworkers in front of him as a shield. “Get back to work,” Minhyun snapped instead.

 

“Aww don’t be like that, I’m sure he’ll show up soon,” Dongho baited him while Guanlin and Seonho scampered off to unload the dishwasher.

 

Minhyun pasted on his best service smile, the one that looked as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth, “Just you wait until you have a crush on someone.”

 

“Oh don’t hold your breath over that,” Dongho scoffed dismissively before his eyes tracked movement behind Minhyun.

 

His friend smirked as the musical peals of the wind chime signified the entrance of another person, “Looks like you don’t have to wait much longer at all.”

 

Minhyun just scoffed, “Like I’m falling for that one again.”

 

Footsteps drew closer and then stopped, Minhyun stared at Dongho with a raised eyebrow as his friend fought to keep the smile creeping unto his face off as long as possible.

 

“Umm,” an attractive voice called out behind him hesitantly, “Sorry, uhh, can I get a latte please?”

 

Minhyun whips around to see soft looking shiny black hair, perfect skin, and a jawline that Minhyun secretly wanted to trace with his fingers. His crush smiled at him, uncertainty tugging at bow-shaped lips while Minhyun just stared, taking in the object of his hidden affections standing there with his hands tucked in his pockets.

 

“Sorry, are you guys not opened yet?”

 

“No, no,” Minhyun floundered to respond, feeling the back of his ears burning in embarrassment from being caught off guard like this, “A latte, right? What size? For here or to go?”

 

“Regular, and for here, please,” his crush, no, Jonghyun his mind corrected, replied, rocking back on his heels.

 

Now that Seonho had pointed it out, Minhyun could spot an onibugi keychain dangling out from his pocket and he tucked away a smile for himself to enjoy later; it was oddly endearing that a grown man still liked cartoon characters this much.

 

“Anything else?” Minhyun asked, quickly punching in the order.

 

“Nope, that’s it, thanks.”

 

“That’ll be ₩5,000 please.”

 

Their fingers brush when Jonghyun places the money directly into Minhyun’s hand instead of on the counter. Minhyun’s stomach hasn't dissolved into butterflies, nope, not at all. He’s much too old for all the symptoms of a crush to be coming back _now_ , he's outgrown it, absolutely 100% outgrown the puppy-love phase of his life. It's probably just indigestion or something.

 

“You can take a seat, it’ll be just a moment. Someone will bring your drink over when it’s ready.”

 

Jonghyun nodded and murmured his thanks, making his way over to claim his usual spot. Minhyun lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding and starts up the machine, determined to make the best cup of latte ever. He eyes one of the freshly baked strawberry and black cherry danishes Dongho and him pulled out of the oven half an hour ago, thinking back to Dongho’s comment before about complimentary pastries.

 

He might as well; he’s learned more about his mystery man in one day from Seonho and Guanlin than he had managed on his own for three months. And it would just be to make up for being rude earlier when he thought Dongho was pranking him again. Yes, that was it, no ulterior motives whatsoever.

 

Choosing a danish carefully, he plates it and retrieves the latte from the counter. He took a deep breath, making a face at Dongho who flashed him a thumbs up; now to do this without making a fool of himself.


	2. I can't seem to Expresso myself around you

Murphy’s Law, Minhyun decides, might just have to be renamed as Minhyun’s Law by the end of today.

 

While on any other day, Minhyun was proud to say he had the smooth posture of a world-class waiter down to a tee, it seemed that today every ounce of his training had completely fled his body within the span of five seconds. He makes it two steps around the counter before he trips over his own feet with all the grace of a newborn calf.

 

Only his quick reflexes allow him to avoid dropping the tray in his hands; the danish is safe, but the latte is decidedly not. His carefully crafted latte art spilled over the edge of the cup, creating a small puddle in the saucer and leaving his painstakingly drawn onibugi an unrecognizable mess. He sets the tray on the counter and transfers the plate with the danish on it to a spare tray, rushing back to remake the latte and opting for simple latte art this time, not wanting to keep his customer waiting. A leaf, that was safe right? No use in tempting fate.

 

He’s just about to pick up the tray again when he realizes that while the danish had been safe from the latte, his shirt was absolutely not and there’s a splotch right at the hem, staining the white French cuff dress shirt an unsightly brown. And just his luck, his replacement was used up yesterday and he had yet to wash the spare and bring it back.

 

Dabbing at the stain gingerly, Minhyun opts to readjust his apron to sit a bit higher than he normally has it around his waist, wincing as it pressed the latte-damp fabric into his skin. Two inches, just two inches and his apron could have done its goddamned job, but no, it just had to be right there.

 

Checking to make sure there wasn’t a spot that he’d missed, Minhyun finally picks up the tray. Just then, Guanlin wordlessly wanders over and peers at the danish. Blinking large eyes at Minhyun slowly, he yawns out, “ _Hyung_ , is that for Jonghyun _hyung_?”

 

“Yes?” Minhyun’s word trails off when he see the tiny frown forming between Guanlin’s eyebrows.

 

“Ah, I think Jonghyun _hyung_ is allergic to cherries,” the younger boy informs him flatly, pointing at the strawberry and freaking _black cherry_ danish Minhyun had chosen of all things.

 

Minhyun will forever deny that he let out a whine akin to the sound a dying cat might let out after having his tail run over again by the car that backed up to see what it had hit. He rushed over to the display case to pick out a blueberry scone instead, making sure to wash his hands before touching it just in case, _god forbid_ , some cherry preserve somehow transfers from his hand to the scone and _kills his customer_.

 

This time when he heads over to where Jonghyun had settled himself, Minhyun makes sure to walk extra slow and as carefully as he possibly freaking can because, goddammit, if he had to go back and remake anything again, everyone in this shop was going to become collateral damage. Starting with Dongho whose distinctive laughter he can hear from all the way here, his idiot of a best friend wasn’t even trying to be subtle at this point.

 

“Here’s your latte,” Minhyun sets the cup down next to Jonghyun’s laptop cautiously, trying to remind himself to smile naturally (no not that weird grimacing thing you do when you get nervous sometimes, dammit Minhyun!), “And a scone, on the house. Sorry for the wait!”

 

Jonghyun looks up from his screen to flash Minhyun a smile in return and he’s lost in those endless eyes, the way Jonghyun’s eyes are crinkling up slightly when he smiles, how soft and glowing Jonghyun’s skin looks in the light coming through the window.

 

“Um…hello?”

 

Minhyun snaps back to reality, the sound of Dongho’s unrepentant cackling fills the coffee shop despite Seonho’s best attempts to shush him and save his beloved hyung from more embarrassment. It’s too late though, Minhyun’s ears are burning and he knows there’s a red flush creeping up the back of his neck.

 

“Y-yes?” he stutters, wow he look makes even plaid look good, goddammit Minhyun his lips are moving, he’s talking to you, focus! And no, not on how pretty his lips are, oh my god, he was going to prove everyone wrong and show that it was actually possible die from embarrassment.

 

Jonghyun just smiles that angelic smile at him, nodding towards the scone, “I said thank you, for the scone.”

 

“Oh!” Minhyun laughs in an attempt to hide how flustered he was getting, “You’re welcome. Please, enjoy!”

 

He bows quickly, not seeing that Jonghyun had opened his mouth to say something further, and scurries back to his station, hiding in the break room so that he can combust from mortification in peace. Minhyun collapses heavily against the wall and slides down with a groan, cradling his head between his hands.

 

“8/10 for entertainment, 2.5/10 for execution. 10/10 would still watch again,” a familiar voice sounds from the doorway and Minhyun startles with a yelp, banging the back of his head against the wall with a hiss.

 

Seongwoo just nods his head slowly in mock sympathy, lips pursed in judgment and Minhyun pulls his ruined shirt off just to have something to throw at his friend.

 

“What are you even doing here?”

 

Seongwoo snickers, chucks the shirt casually into a corner, and throws all 179 cm of his lithe frame into the cheap folding chair in the corner for a better vantage point to mock Minhyun from. “I came here to grab a bite to eat on the way to class and drop off those lecture slides you asked about last week,” he leans against his propped up leg with a shit-eating grin, “And boy was I glad to be here. Dongho mentioned you were in deep, but wow, that was next level Minhyun-ah~”

 

Minhyun didn’t even have the energy to glare anymore when his friend shook his head at him, smirk never fading. “You mean you came to beg free food off us again. How much did you see?” he asks instead; damage control was still possible, right?

 

“Aaaalllll of it,” Seongwoo drags out his words for maximum effect, reveling in the way that the normally unflappable Hwang Minhyun was slowly beginning to resemble an overripe tomato, “I stood right outside the window and waved too, you didn’t see me because you were too busy gazing lovingly into mystery man’s eyes. True love at first sight! The love of a century!”

 

“Well, not first sight,” he amends while Minhyun tries to become one with the wall behind him, “You’ve seen him many times now, damn, Minhyun-ah, do you just devolve into a complete mess every time? Because that’s just sad man, just sad.”

 

“Shut up,” Minhyun hisses, “I don’t want to hear how sad I am from the serial monogamist. How many times have you been told ‘it’s not me, it’s you’ after the first date again?”

 

“Now now, Hwang-ja-nim,” his friend sings as Minhyun winces at the pun on his name that has unfortunately followed him around since his high school years, bestowed upon him by a particularly ardent secret admirer that his friends would never let him forget about, “We’re not here to talk about the fact that people out there don’t know what they’re missing when they let _me_ go. We’re here to talk about _you_! And the fact that at this rate, you are never going to get into those ripped tight black skinnies. Like wow, did you see how ripped his pants were? Bet you loved it, more skin for you to ogle.”

 

“Can we not?”

 

“Nope, out numbered by majority rule!” Seongwoo declares in a mock official tone, even slamming an imaginary gavel into his thigh for added effect.

 

“There are two of us in this room, you don’t get to declare a majority,” Minhyun complains, starting to shiver a bit at how cold the wall felt against his back.

 

Seongwoo helpfully yanks the door to the break room open, sending an eavesdropping Seonho and Guanlin tumbling into the room. Guanlin at least has the decency to try and appear contrite while Seonho just beams, bounding over to drop himself into Minhyun’s lap without a care, “Hi _hyung_! Do you need a hug? You look like you need a hug!”

 

Seongwoo snickers softly and pats Guanlin on the shoulder when the other boy takes a seat at his feet, leaning against his hyung’s legs. “And now there are four of us! Three against one, definitely majority now, right?”

 

Minhyun stares at Seongwoo, pushing Seonho as far away as possible before the younger boy can try to burrow his face into his bare chest. “I hate all of you,” he declares.

 

“No you don’t.”

 

“Yes, I do, I really really do,” Minhyun intones, ignoring Seonho’s whines as he tries to get as close to Minhyun as possible.

 

Seongwoo just reaches a long arm over into Seonho’s locker and yanks a spare dress shirt off a hanger, throwing it at Minhyun, “Cover up already, or you're going to get the shop in trouble for breaking some kind of health code. Seonho-ah, lend your _hyung_ your shirt for now, you don’t mind right? It’s just another way for you to get closer to him!”

 

Minhyun stands, dislodging Seonho from his lap and pulls on the shirt briskly; it’s just a little bit too tight around the chest but at least it fits well enough generally. “Are you sure I can’t just stay in this room until he leaves?”

 

“Nope, no dice,” Seongwoo helpfully pushes him out of the room the moment Minhyun is decent again, “Just follow our plan and go get’em tiger!”

 

Minhyun flails, “What plan?! You didn’t mention any plan.”

 

“True love needs no plan!” his friend declares dramatically, sweeping out an arm in a much more practiced motion than Dongho’s imitation earlier, “Love asks only that you press on boldly, to never falter even in the face of defeat.”

 

Minhyun just stares at Dongho who’s doubled over laughing behind them and then looks back at Seongwoo who insists on maintaining his ridiculous pose, “I am never introducing my friends to each other again. Ever.”

 

Before either of his friends can speak and make his growing headache any worse, the door to the coffee shop opens, wind chime jangling cheerfully as a graceful figure with shoulder length black hair swept to the side struts in to throw their arms around Minhyun’s not-so-secret crush.

 

“Jonghyun-ah!” the stranger cries, sitting shamelessly in the lap that Minhyun doesn’t even dare to fantasize about, “I’ve missed you!”

 

“Ohooooo,” Seongwoo chortles, elbowing a frozen Minhyun several times in quick succession, “Looks like you have competition! Right Dongho?”

 

When he doesn’t get a response, Seongwoo looks over at his other friend, “Dongho-ah?”

 

Dongho is gaping at the smiling figure in Jonghyun’s lap, not even reacting when Seongwoo waved his hand in front of his face, “Hellooooo? Anybody home?”

 

“An angel,” his stunned friend breathes, features painted into the rapture of a man dying of thirst finally reaching an oasis.

 

Seongwoo looked between Minhyun who was trying his best to cause Dongho’s newfound infatuation to spontaneously combust from sheer willpower alone, and Dongho’s absolutely smitten expression despite having literally just laid eyes on the second mystery person of the hour less than a minute ago.

 

Glancing at Guanlin and Seonho, Seongwoo snorts and has to turn away for a moment to hide his mirth behind his hand, “We’ve got our work cut out for us, don’t we?”

 

Both of the younger boys nodded solemnly, wondering if their two love-struck hyungs were going to calcify and turn into statues where they stood rooted to the spot.

 

Seongwoo throws an arm around both of them and whispers conspiratorially, “Listen kids, don’t ever do what Minhyun and Dongho are doing, you hear me? But now it’s our job as the best friends _ever_ to help them out a bit because clearly, they’re going to be hopeless.”

 

He glances up at the still unmoving forms of his friends and chuckles lowly, “Yup, absolutely useless.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -snickering still- I had way too much fun with that, hope you guys enjoyed it as well!


	3. If I asked for your number, could you think I was brewed?

Jonghyun barely manages to put his latte down somewhere safe before he finds his lap duly occupied by a familiar body, slim arms thrown around his neck as his best friend beams down at him. Jonghyun sighs at Minki’s antics but smiles fondly, reaching up to tug at his hair, “You changed it.”

 

Minki flashes Jonghyun his best camera-ready smile and flips his hair to rest on his other shoulder. “Do you like it?” he croons, fluttering his eyelashes exaggeratedly in a mockery of those self-proclaimed ulzzangs who like to throw themselves at Jonghyun.

 

Jonghyun snorts and shoves at Minki until his friend slips off his lap and into the seat next to him, still snickering into his hands. “I’m sorry,” Minki gasps out, half choking on his laughter, “Just, I keep remembering the look on your face from that time that girl kept batting her eyelashes at you. And you-you thought she was having a _seizure_.”

 

Minki cackles while Jonghyun snorts and rolls his eyes, shoving his arm again. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Your hair looks great but by next week, you’re going to come to me complaining about how some meathead tried to grope your butt again thinking you were a girl.”

 

Minki rolls his eyes and snorts inelegantly, at total odds with the stylish figure he cut as always, “I swear the next time someone puts their hands on me, I’m going to break their jaw.”

 

Jonghyun eyes Minki’s deceptively slender arms dubiously, remembering how much it always hurt when his friend got irritated and decided to express himself through smacking the people around him; if he was lucky, he wouldn’t have to post bail to get Minki out after he assaulted some handsy idiot. Deciding he’d rather not get smacked today, Jonghyun breaks off a piece of the scone and popped it into his mouth before offering the plate to Minki. His friend eyes it for a moment before ripping off a piece, letting out a hum of appreciation as the delicately sweet and tart taste of blueberries burst against his tongue.

 

“Oh, this is good,” Minki mumbles around his mouthful, reaching over to rip off another piece and whining when Jonghyun smacked his hand away, “Come on, share!”

 

“Go get your own,” Jonghyun grumbled as he pulled the plate protectively towards himself, regretting sharing his gift with Minki just a tad.

 

Minki pauses to level inquisitive eyes at Jonghyun, body still in a way that made Jonghyun want to groan. It was like his friend had the uncanniest sixth sense when it comes to figuring out when someone was withholding information or embarrassed about something. Minki glances at the scone and then back at Jonghyun three times before a smirk slowly took over his face.

 

“You know,” he begins airily while Jonghyun tries to ignore the predatory look on his friend’s face that was surely spelling his doom, “You don’t usually mind sharing food. Aron _hyung_ said you come to this café every day now, so there must be something special. And I don’t think it’s the scones.”

 

“They have good coffee, and the latte art is always nice,” Jonghyun tries casually redirect the conversation, “I post pictures of them on Instagram sometimes, did you see them?”

 

Minki stares Jonghyun down, prying at the kinks in his armour. Casting his gaze around, he takes in the employees that work at the coffee shop, dismissing the lanky teens outright. There was an older, lithe figure whispering urgently to them but he wasn’t in uniform so Minki turned his gaze to the last two people behind the counter.

 

One has black hair with the sides cropped short, a masculine jawline, muscled and _oh_ – Minki lets his eye linger on the man’s biceps appreciatively; yes, definitely muscled. Taking in the slightly dazed look in the man’s eyes, Minki winks at him, feeling very pleased with the slight blush that paints his cheeks.

 

The other figure though, Minki eyes him critically, tall with refined features, dark chocolate brown hair and a fierce look in his eyes, as if daring Minki to keep eye contact. Attitude aside, or maybe included, he is tall, classically handsome, with features what would probably look sweet and charming when he wasn’t trying to burn someone out of existence with the force of his glare alone, and thus exactly Jonghyun’s type.

 

Minki turns back to Jonghyun who seems to be unable to decide whether he wants to look Minki in the eye or not and drawls, “So. That barista is good looking isn’t he?”

 

Jonghyun chokes on air and Minki’s grin stretches until it’s past delighted and just plain alarming. _Jackpot._ “Kim Jonghyun,” Minki breathes out in a stage-whisper, “Have you been coming to this coffee shop to ogle the barista?”

 

“Not so loud!” Jonghyun hisses, leaning in to clamp a hand over his friend’s mouth, before pulling it back sharply with a yelp of disgust, “Did you just _lick_ me?!”

 

Minki just snaps his teeth at Jonghyun, “That’s what you get for trying to gag me like that. Now, you’re going to tell me all about this because I cannot believe you didn’t tell me about this! Just because I was overseas doesn’t mean that you’re allowed to cut me out of your life like this!”

 

“This does not count as ‘cutting you out of my life’,” Jonghyun retorts, taking a sip of his cooling latte sulkily.

 

“It’s got a good atmosphere, it’s close to the apartment, and _yes_ ,” he cuts Minki off with a look, “the barista is good looking. Are you happy now?”

 

“No, that hardly tells me anything. Have you asked for his number yet?”

 

Minki mentally pats himself on the back when Jonghyun chokes on thin air again. His friend just glares at him, pointedly shoving the rest of his scone into this mouth and chewing determinedly, as if that could excuse him from answering. Minki just raises a delicately shaped eyebrow, the threat in his eyes clear as he slowly pushes his chair back and saunters over to the counter, leaving Jonghyun to scramble up behind him, trying to pull him back without being too obvious.

 

To Jonghyun’s dismay, Minki’s strides are much longer than his and Jonghyun can only watch in horror as Minki turns the short distance into his personal catwalk and flashes a smile at one dazed barista, and an increasingly irritated looking one. Briefly, Jonghyun wonders what’s happened to turn Minhyun’s usually charming and welcoming smile (Jonghyun’s known Minhyun’s name from the helpful name tag all employees have to wear for weeks now but he doesn’t dare use it because it just seems rather creepy) into this barely service-worthy grimace. Maybe, Jonghyun glances at the glazed look on Dongho’s face that tells him the larger male has already fallen prey to Minki’s charms, he’s irritated that his coworker is pretty much out of commission now?

 

“Hi,” Minki chirps cheerfully as if he’s not single-handedly ruining Jonghyun’s life, “Can I get a blueberry scone and a macchiato please? To go.”

 

Jonghyun watches as Minhyun nods stoically, ringing up the order and murmuring out the cost under his breath, taking the money from Minki brusquely. Jonghyun hovers nervously behind his friend, hoping that Minki keeps his mouth shut and wondering how much damages he might cause if he did lunge for his friend to cut him off in the worst-case scenario.

 

Thankfully, Minki doesn’t say anything, just takes his order and leaves with another flirtatious grin flashed at Dongho, and after glancing at the name tags and committing Minhyun's name to memory.. Somehow, that doesn’t make Jonghyun feel any better because he knows that there’s no way this is the end of it and he shudders, wondering what Minki is holding back for. Minki just smirks at him, knowing full well that his silence has Jonghyun on edge and purposely changes the subject after taking a sip of his drink.

 

“Are you coming to the showcase tonight?” he settles for instead.

 

Jonghyun blinks up at him, clearly thrown by the change in topic, “That’s tonight?”

 

“Mhmm, Daniel, Taehyun, JungJung, and Woojin are all performing. Eunki is even taking a risk and lying to his dad so he can make it,” Minki reminds him, “You have to come show your support or no one will ever forgive you.”

 

“I’ll be there, I’ll be there. I just thought it was next week.”

 

Minki peers at him over the rim of his cup and then sighs. “You got caught up in your deadlines again, didn’t you?” he asks accusingly, “Or maybe you just lost all sense of time after your dalliances with the hot barista.”

 

Jonghyun splutters and glares at him with all the presence of a soaked kitten, “There are no _dalliances_ , gods Minki, why do you have to make it sound like that?”

 

“Like what? An illicit affair?” Minki makes another jab without mercy, “The only thing criminal about this entire thing is that you haven’t made a move yet and Aron _hyung_ specifically said it’s been months. Prince Charming over there definitely caught you eye ages ago, don’t you try to deny it. Why not just ask him out?”

 

Jonghyun gives him a look as if Minki is asking him to perform ritualistic murder on puppies rather than ask an attractive guy out. “I can’t just _ask_ him, what if he’s not into guys? And people who hit on people in the service industry are just so _creepy_!” Jonghyun insists with a huff, “I don’t want to be one of them; they’re literally paid to be nice to you, but that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to harass them for being good-looking.”

 

“Urgh,” Minki groans, getting to his feet and deeming Jonghyun hopeless for the time being, “You and your weirdly sensible rules. Fine, stay here and pine hopelessly after someone that you could just ask out. I’m heading out, I promised I’d help them get ready for the showcase. 6 pm! Don’t forget!”

 

“I won’t,” Jonghyun calls back with a wave, “Save me a seat?”

 

Minki flashes him a thumbs up and then strolls out the door in a whirlwind of energy that leaves Jonghyun feeling more exhausted than he should be after fifteen minutes in his best friend’s presence. He sneaks a peek at the counter and unwittingly makes eye contact with Minhyun who was looking in his direction. Jonghyun ducks his head quickly, embarrassed to be caught and wondering what Minhyun thought of him now after Minki barged into the shop and figuratively charmed the pants off his coworker without a single word.

 

With an inaudible groan he turned back to his laptop, determined to finish up earlier so he could go home and change before the showcase. His eyes linger on the crumbs that are all that is left of the complimentary scone, tucking away a smile even though Minhyun likely didn't mean anything by it. _But what if it did mean something? Would it hurt to ask for his number?_ Jonghyun cursed internally, shooing away that little voice in his head and cursing Minki for planting the idea in his brain.

 

He'll deal with whatever _this_ was later. For now, he had a deadline to meet and he just hoped to God that Minki didn't seriously try to intervene in the mean time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, these puns are just getting worse and worse, haha. But here we have out flip side!


	4. You mocha me crazy

“Minhyun-ah, you’re scrubbing so hard that the decal is coming off that plate. Just use the damn dishwasher.”

 

Minhyun ignores his traitor of a friend and just keeps scrubbing at the sparkling clean plate stubbornly. Normally, when he’s feeling irritated or upset about anything, cleaning gives him the cathartic release he needs but today it’s just not working. All that’s looping through his mind is the image of that nameless man with the shoulder length hair flouncing into _his_ café and shamelessly hanging off of Jonghyun.

 

“Minhyun-ah, seriously. You’re going to break it. It’s going to shatter in your hands and you’re going to have shards sticking out of your palm.”

 

Not that Minhyun cares about that man specifically because he was hanging off of Jonghyun, no, absolutely not, he just really doesn’t need to see such blatant displays of public affection in an area that was, well, _public_.

 

“You’re not listening to me at all, are you?”

 

Seongwoo reaches around Minhyun to turn the tap off with a huff, dancing out of the way when Minhyun turns around with a glare, wielding the sponge in his hand like a weapon, threatening Seongwoo with the possibility of getting soapsuds all over his shirt. Seongwoo just rolls his eyes hard enough they could probably pop straight out of his head but Minhyun doesn’t back down, gesturing at him rudely and flinging bubbles in his general direction.

 

Both of them ignore the fact that Minhyun is wincing internally because now he’s twitching to clean the floor as well and make sure it doesn’t turn out to be a hazard. Seongwoo sighs dramatically, motions overly exaggerated and larger than life, just like everything else he tends to do. “Right. So I’m going to leave now, please don’t drown yourself in the sink before tomorrow.”

 

Minhyun frowns a little, letting his arm drop down to his side after tossing the sponge half-heartedly back into the sink. “Is something happening tomorrow?”

 

Seongwoo gasps and then falls backwards, body collapsing against the counter as if he’d be mortally wounded, “How could you forget?!”

 

“No, seriously. What’s happening tomorrow?”

 

“It’s my birthday,” Seongwoo hisses at him, eyes narrowed and drawing himself backwards against the countertop and away from Minhyun like a cat that’s had its tail stepped on.

 

“Your birthday was last month,” Minhyun deadpans.

 

Seongwoo just scoffs, still clutching at his chest and staggering around, pointing at Minhyun accusingly as if Minhyun had actually stabbed him in the heart. “Which I was not in town for. So we’re doing a joint celebration with this other guy I know from my dance crew whose birthday _is_ this month; I told you this two weeks ago!” Seongwoo finishes accusingly.

 

Minhyun thinks back and does recall Seongwoo mentioning some type of party to him during one of their movie binge nights. He grimaces the moment the realization hits him and he catches the look of triumph on his friend’s face when he sees it as well.

 

Seongwoo shakes his head mournfully and then grabs an unsuspecting Guanlin who’s on his way to refill the pastry display and heaves fake sobs into the boy’s shoulder. “Guanlin-ah, you wouldn’t ever do this to _hyung_ , right?”

 

The boy in question just looks confused, reaching out to pat Seongwoo on the back gingerly, “No?”

 

Seongwoo’s head snaps up then, dislodging Guanlin’s hand as he seizes the younger boy by the shoulders. “Hey, Guanlin, your birthday is this month too, right?”

 

Guanlin nods, grinning and laughing sheepishly, oddly pleased that this _hyung_ he isn’t even that familiar with beyond his visits to the coffee shop remembered his birthday. “Yeah, it’s next Saturday actually.”

 

“So you should come tomorrow!” Seongwoo beams, all smiles suddenly and bouncing in the spot faster than a child on a sugar high, “Come celebrate with us! Minhyun will treat us to something delicious.”

 

“Hey,” Minhyun protests half-heartedly, though he had expected something of the sort the moment he unwittingly admitted to forgetting about the make-up celebration for Seongwoo’s birthday, “I didn’t agree to any of this.”

 

“We’re going for meat before we meet up with the others at the arcade in the afternoon,” Seongwoo says louder, talking over Minhyun deliberately as he decides one-sidedly, daring his friend with his eyes to contradict him.

 

“Okay,” Guanlin agrees easily; he has no other plans and really very few people to celebrate his birthday with in Korea, even if it was one week early.

 

“Great!” Seongwoo turns to Minhyun then with a devilish grin and Minhyun can feel the dread in his stomach, “We should invite Seonho too so you have a friend there you know!”

 

Minhyun looks at Seongwoo in horror and immediately starts to silently shake his head frantically, fearing for the state of his wallet after paying for a meal that will satisfy _Seonho_. Seongwoo just smirks.

 

“I’m sure Seonho would _love_ to go out for a meal with his beloved Minhyun _hyung_ ,” he coos, “11:30 tomorrow then! I’ll text you guys the address. I have to run or I’ll be late, see ya!”

 

Seongwoo winks at them, snags the bag of ‘stale’ pastries he’d begged off Dongho who was still in his daze from earlier and then bounds out of the café, humming cheerfully to himself. Minhyun just groans, dropping his head into his palms, “I hate my friends.”

 

“ _Hyung_ , you have soap suds in your hair now,” Guanlin points out helpfully.

 

Minhyun just groans louder.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey guys, I brought food!”

 

The declaration is enough for Seongwoo to be met by the cheers of his crew members, everyone clambering over to grab a pastry from the bag as they took a break from rehearsing and setting up the venue.

 

“Where were you?” JungJung asks with a pout through a mouthful of croissant, “We started two hours ago.”

 

“I was supposed to have a class right now but it got cancelled,” Seongwoo explains, “Or else I’d have ended up being even later. Sorry man.”

 

“Who cares?” Woojin adds, grabbing another almond honey twist from the bag and shoving it into his mouth, “At least he bought food that he’s sharing. Minki _hyung_ only brought enough for himself!”

 

“Hey!” the man in question yells, head popping up from where he was wrestling with a rolled up backdrop with Taehyun, “I’m helping you all from the goodness of my heart and this is the thanks I get?”

 

Seongwoo looks over, eyes zeroing in on the other male at the sound of the familiar voice he had just heard less than an hour ago. “Minki _hyung_?,” he questions, a grin already slowly creeping across his face as all the possibilities flashed across his mind.

 

Minki tilts his head to the side, squinting slightly even though his vision is perfect just like everything else about him, thank you very much, before his eyebrows rise minutely in recognition. “You were at the coffee shop just now.”

 

Seongwoo strides over, offering his hand to the other who drops the back drop unceremoniously to clasp it in a firm handshake, ignoring Taehyun’s protest as he staggers under the sudden weight.

 

“Ong Seongwoo, I don’t believe we’ve met.”

 

“No,” Minki gives his own smirk in response as he takes in the mischief dancing in Seongwoo’s eyes, “we haven’t. Choi Minki.”

 

“Pleasure. So, your friend,” Seongwoo drawls with a grin, “Just a friend or something more?”

 

Minki scoffs, waving away Seongwoo’s words with an off-handed motion, “A friend, definitely just a friend; it’d be like incest, you know? You?”

 

“Just a friend. A friend who is pining and very much single,” Seongwoo discloses with mock solemnity, nodding slowly.

 

“And so is mine,” Minki confirms.

 

“So there’s the get together tomorrow for mine and Eunki’s birthday,” Seongwoo offers, lips pulled back in a smirk that promises chaos, a smirk that Minki mirrors perfectly, “Are you guys coming?”

 

“Oh, yes,” he nods, rolling the words across his tongue as if they were something delicious, all but purring out his response, “We’ll be there.”

 

“Perfect.”

 

The two stand there and grin at each other while their friends stare, baffled but feeling like they had just witnessed a deal between two devils.

 

“Why do I get the feeling that someone out there should be very very afraid,” JungJung leans over to whisper into Eunki’s ear.

 

The other boy snorts and nods towards their friends who are still grinning manically at each other. “Make that two someones. Come on,” Eunki gets to his feet and dusts off the crumbs on his pants, “Let’s finish setting up.”

 

He strides over and grabs Seongwoo’s arm, pulling him away from Minki, “Come on _hyung_ , stop meddling and come help me finish setting up the sound system.”

 

“I’m not meddling,” Seongwoo insists, barely managing to snag his phone back from Minki and saving the new number, “I’m acting as an agent of love!”

 

“Your own love life is in a shambles,” Eunki snorts, shoving his _hyung_ in the direction of the speakers, “What gives you license to act as an ‘agent of love’.”

 

“Lies and slander!”

 

“So you’re _not_ hiding from Daniel _hyung_?” Eunki fires back, “Tell me now, are you guys on right now or is this an off period? Oh wait, you went on a date two days ago and sent that photography major home in tears, it’s an off period then.”

 

Seongwoo glares mulishly, grabbing two speakers and hauling it towards their stage. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Daniel and I are not a thing to begin with, and I did _not_ make her cry, okay?”

 

“Sure _hyung_ ,” Eunki answers airily, “Whatever you say. Hold that wire for me? Oh, hi Daniel _hyung_.”

 

“Hey Eunki,” a deep voice calls back, “Where did you want the lights again?”

 

Seongwoo’s entire body stiffens before he forcibly relaxes his posture, ducking around Eunki and muttering that they ‘had the wrong set of wires, he’ll be right back’ before he hightails it towards where Woojin is rummaging through a box of equipment.

 

“Just at the opposite corner of the stage is fine, _hyung_ ,” Eunki shakes his head in amusement at his friend’s retreating back.

 

“Okay!” Daniel makes to head back over and then stops, turning around to face Eunki, “Hey, Eunki-ah, do you think Seongwoo is mad at me?”

 

The boy stares at Daniel, he can feel his eyebrow climbing into his hairline already. “Whatever gave you that idea?” he asked, sarcasm oozing from his tongue.

 

Daniel just laughs sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck and his eyes crinkled up in a way that everyone agreed with unfairly attractive, “I just feel like he’s been kind of distant lately.”

 

Eunki thinks back to all thirteen times Seongwoo had pretty much teleported to the opposite side of any room Daniel was in for the past two weeks and just barely manages not to gape at Daniel. “Distant. Right, that’s one way to put it,” he mutters to himself, “Hey, _hyung_ , you guys are dating, right?”

 

Daniel tilts his head to the side with a laugh, looking for all the world like a confused puppy, “Yeah? Why do you ask?”

 

“Like exclusively dating, seeing each other and only each other,” Eunki says slowly, feeling the need to clarify, just in case.

 

“Yeah, that’s what dating is, isn’t it?”

 

“Does Seongwoo _hyung_ know that? Did you tell him that you guys were dating now instead of whatever arrangement you guys had before?” Eunki asks, feeling a headache building already.

 

“Why wouldn’t he know?” Daniel asks, sounding confused.

 

“Did. You. Tell him?” Eunki repeats slowly as if he was speaking to a toddler, wait no, that would be an insult to the children.

 

“Tell him what?” Daniel frowns, genuinely perplexed, “When you get to that point, you just know where you stand, right?”

 

“Oh my god,” Eunki breathes under his breath, “Just go. Go talk to him. Like actually talk to him. I’m going to go grab some water or something.”

 

With that Eunki turns his back on Daniel and strides over to where JungJung is sitting, fiddling with his ipod as he goes though their set list for the performance. Throwing his arms around the other boy in a back hug, he rocks them from side to side and buries his face in his boyfriend’s shoulder.

 

JungJung peers at him in concern, “What’s wrong, love?”

 

Eunki just muffles a sigh into JungJung’s sweater, “I am just so glad we’re normal. Like so glad.”


	5. Go Frappe Yourself

“You came!”

 

The tinge of genuine surprise behind Taehyun’s enthusiastic welcome has Jonghyun wincing a little behind his smile even as he steps into his friend’s hug easily, parting after a quick pat on the back. Jonghyun doesn’t want to admit it but he knows he’s been more than a little absent from his friend circle since he started his internship, what with the overlapping deadlines all piling up on him at once, but it honestly hurt to know they were expecting he wouldn’t be able to show up after promising to come to their showcase.

 

Granted, his lips twisted in a mirthless smile, he _had_ nearly missed it and would have without Minki’s timely reminder earlier that day. Jonghyun pastes on a suitably supportive look to hide his inner turmoil and greets the rest of his friends warmly, “How could I miss it when you guys have been preparing so hard for this? I’m sorry I haven’t been around lately though, I promise I’ll be better after this project is over.”

 

Taehyun waves him off, “It’s fine man, we know you’ve been swamped. We’re just glad you’re here.”

 

The dancer was decked out in strategically ripped grey denim, a black dress shirt buttoned up just enough to not be crossing the line of public indecency, and one of those chokers, a thin silver one, that was getting increasingly popular these days. The edges of his eyeliner was smudged _just_ _so_ at the end, an artfully careless look that just screamed of Minki’s handiwork. Eunki beside him nods in agreement, outfitted in formfitting slacks and a loose silk shirt in a muted pastel, the soft gradient of peach coloured make-up emphasizing the dewy look of his eyes.

 

“Glad I could make it,” Jonghyun tells them, “And you guys look great, good luck on your performances!”

 

“Thanks, Minki _hyung_ worked his magic,” Eunki admits with a laugh, “Half of our clothes are on loan from him because he stormed in earlier and nixed pretty much everyone’s outfits. The only person who got a pass was Daniel _hyung_ because his shoulders will just tear through any shirt Minki _hyung_ lends him when he starts b-boying. Though personally I think Seongwoo _hyung_ looked fine before, but Minki _hyung_ insisted on wrapping this black choker around his neck and now I think Daniel _hyung_ is about to give himself an stroke staring at it.”

 

Jonghyun smiles fondly at the mention of his best friend’s antics towards any alleged ‘fashion terrorism’ while trying to place a face to the mentioned names. Daniel, the b-boy hailing from Busan and seemed to laugh at everything and anything, Jonghyun had met several times now, but try as he might, he couldn’t put a face to the name Seongwoo.

 

The confusion on his face must have shone through because Taehyun was quick to explain, “Seongwoo joined our crew more recently, just a couple months back; I don’t think you’ve met him yet? Great at popping, funny guy too.”

 

“Him and Daniel are also the definition of the Facebook “It’s Complicated” status right now,” Eunki interjects snidely, shooting an unimpressed look over his shoulder in the direction Seongwoo presumably was, “So if you are anywhere near Daniel tonight, you probably won’t see Seongwoo more than in passing.”

 

JungJung swats Eunki’s shoulder chidingly. “Stop spreading gossip,” he looked over at Jonghyun with an apologetic smile, “Ignore him, he’s just nervous for the performance. Thanks for coming, _hyung_. We’re starting in twenty minutes or so, I think Minki put you down for a saved seat near the front?”

 

Eunki turns to his boyfriend with a pout before raising his eyebrow, “I thought seating was first come first serve basis?”

 

JungJung snorted, “I’m pretty sure Minki just made his own ‘reserved’ signs and stuck it on the chairs.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“I’ll get out of your hair then, you guys probably still have last minute things to do,” Jonghyun offered, “I’ll go greet everyone else and then take a seat. Good luck!”

 

“Thanks!” JungJung chirped, darting forward to sneak in a quick hug, “See you at the after party?”

 

“Of course,” Jonhyun promised emphatically, “I have so much to catch up on with you guys, and I need a break from this project or I’ll go insane.”

 

He makes his rounds, alternately warmed by the enthusiastic welcomes and disheartened by the badly hidden surprise in his friends' greetings, then settles into a chair with a hastily made paper sign tacked to it with a vague smile to the stranger to his left. Jonghyun spends several minutes scrolling through his phone, letting the indistinct chatter of the other audience members wash over him, until someone drops themselves into the open seat to his right heavily. He looks up to see exactly what he expected – Minki sprawled out in the plastic chair beside him in a position that should be uncomfortable but that his friend makes look luxurious.

 

“I am,” the other man declares with flick of his head that sends his long hair whipping into Jonghyun’s face, “absolutely _appalled_ by what these people call fashion.”

 

“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Jonghyun offers after spitting out the strands of Minki’s hair that flew into his mouth with a grimace.

 

His friend turns eyes filled with righteously overblown anger towards him, expression utterly scandalized. “One of the freshmen was going to wear a _bucket hat_ on stage. A bucket hat, Jonghyun! Don’t you dare tell me I’m being dramatic.”

 

Knowing there was little to say in the face of that, even though Jonghyun doesn’t see that much of a problem if the freshman liked to wear bucket hats, he settles for flattery. “Well then, it’s a good thing you were here. You’re coming to the party afterwards, right?”

 

“Oh yes, I need a drink. Several drinks,” Minki announces, uncaring who hears, “But maybe not too many, or it’ll be hard to recover in time for the party tomorrow.”

 

Jonghyun frowned, perplexed, “There’s another party tomorrow? For your work?”

 

The look he gets in return is a mix of dismay and exasperation. “Tomorrow is the party for Eunki’s birthday,” Minki reminds him, tone dry, “Well, it’s a joint birthday for him and Seongwoo. You really have to stop forgetting, Jonghyun-ah.”

 

He swallows his apologies with a rueful smile at the reprimand in Minki’s eyes, knowing sorry isn't what Minki wanted to hear. “Right. I’ll be there. What time is it? Do I have time to get Eunki a gift beforehand?”

 

His friend eyes him contemplatively before a wicked smile spreads over his features; Jonghyun shivers at the thought of what constitutes the apologies his friend must have decided to extract from him without due notice.

 

“11 o’clock,” he drawls, “If you can stand to wake up early after the afterparty, I suppose you should have time to get a gift. We’re meeting for lunch first, and then the arcade. I’ll send you the address for the restaurant later.”

 

Jonghyun makes some quick calculations in his head and then nods, ignoring the foreboding feeling that sits heavy in his stomach when he spies the devilish delight the blossoms on Minki's face at his acceptance. “Alright. I think that should work. Oh, should I get a present for, um, for Seongwoo-ssi as well?”

 

Minki snorts and looked at Jonghyun fondly, smirk softened into something closer to a smile. “Only you would think to get a gift for someone you’ve never met. Don’t worry about it, my gift for him will be from the both of us.”

 

Confused by his friend’s statement after being assured that no gift was needed, Jonghyun is about to question him when the lights dim and the buzzing of the audience around them falls to a hush in anticipation. Right, he’ll ask Minki later, for now, he’d best focus on appreciating the performances of his friends. It's a good show, everything runs smoothly even if at one point Jonghyun has to clamp a hand over Minki's mouth to muffle his scream of outrage when the freshman walks out on stage, eyes hidden under his bucket hat. 

 

Jonghyun is proud of his friends, glad to see their effort and talent acknowledged by the thunderous applause of the audience. Even if he had missed all the rehearsals and hadn't been there to support them along the way this time, he's proud of them and glad to enjoy the fruits of their labour. He'll be better though, Jonghyun promises himself, he'll be a better friend. Starting with the afterparty and the party tomorrow, he'll take care not to be absent in their lives anymore. 

 

* * *

 

Minhyun wakes to the insistent buzzing of his phone, the rectangular device vibrating from the arrival of several text messages, screen lit up with Seongwoo’s name complete with an appropriately ridiculous contact photo the man in question had taken himself months ago after stealing Minhyun’s phone.

 

 

 

 _Minhyunnie~ Don’t forget to bring your wallet today_ ❤

_14, Bongeunsa-ro 86-gil!!!_

_Reservation is under my name._

_Be there by 11!_

_If you’re late, I’ll tell Seonho you want to treat him to more meals_

 

_So don’t be late~_

 

 

 

Minhyun snorts and then rolls over with a groan, rubbing at tired eyes while fighting back a yawn. The letters on his analog clock read ‘9:32 AM’ and so he gets to his feet with a groan, stumbling into the shower to start his day. He’s ready by ten, nibbling on a piece of toast to ease his empty stomach while he looks up the address Seongwoo had sent him and then groans. Of course it’s in Gangnam, the arcade likely is as well, which means Seongwoo means to end the night off at some fancy bar or drag them all off to a club.

 

With a sigh, he slips out of the worn t-shirt he had on and switches it out for a nicer, form-fitting polo. He fixes his mussed hair hastily in the mirror, marveling at the wonders a good night of sleep did for his dark circles, and smooths out the wrinkles of his jeans before making his way out the door, gift rattling around loosely in a paper bag.

 

The trip takes longer than he anticipated after a missed bus connection and by the time he makes it to the restaurant, it’s five minutes past eleven and Minhyun just _knows_ Seongwoo is going to be an absolute brat and give him hell for being late, never mind that Seongwoo himself is terrible at waking up in the mornings and often makes it to class on time only by the skin of his teeth. The hypocrite. 

 

Even before he pushes open the doors, Minhyun can smell the heady aroma of sizzling meat and his mouth waters, stomach rumbling, that single piece of toast feels like forever ago. Stepping inside, he’s greeted by the hostess, a middle-aged woman with hair just in the beginning stages of greying.

 

“Hello, my friend made an reservation, Ong Seongwoo for 11?”

 

She smiles at him kindly, “Ah yes, one of your friends are already here, right this way please.”

 

She gestures for him to follow her and he does, smiling in return and nodding his thanks. She said one of his friends, so it’s likely Seongwoo since it’s unlikely Guanlin would arrive without Seonho, what with the two of them being roommates. With a silent sigh, he readies himself for the barrage of over the top accusations and the inevitable guilt trip for being a mere five minutes late.

 

“Hey Seongwoo, sorry I’m late,” he says as he round the corner, already reaching out to pull out a chair.

 

“Oh, hello, don’t worry about it, no one else is here yet either.”

 

Minhyun freezes, hand still on the back of the chair, cool metal under his fingers. That’s not words Seongwoo would say.

 

That was also not Seongwoo’s voice.

 

Minhyun raises his head slowly, gaze dragging as he prolongs the inevitable. He knows that voice, there’s not use denying it, but the truth has his throat constricted and dry even as he swallows mild terror heavily.

 

When he finally looks up it’s to the sight of kind eyes and a shy smile set in the face that haunts his dreams. Minhyun wonders if he’s fallen so hard that his dreams have followed him into his waking hours but no matter how he blinks or pinches himself discreetly the vision in front of him doesn’t dispel.

 

Kim Jonghyun sits there at the table across from him and Minhyun is certain he’s gaping unattractively like an idiot and goddammit he was going to murder Seongwoo. That man was dead to him, completely and utterly dead. Minhyun barely manages to fight back the nervous whine building at the back of his throat and eke out a, “Hello.”

 

“Hello,” Jonghyun returns Minyun’s weak greeting with an unfairly attractive smile, “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. My name is Kim Jonghyun, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

 _I know what your_ _name is_ , Minhyun bites back the reflexive response, knowing it would sound beyond creepy. “Hwang Minhyun,” he takes the offered hand _ohmygodtheirhandsaretouching_ and shakes it lightly, “and the pleasure is mine.”

 

 _Oh, yes, it’s definitely your’s, isn’t it?_ A voice that sounds suspiciously like the traitor Ong Seongwoo sounds in his head and he pushes it away. A light cough brings him out of his reverie and his eyes snap to their still joined hands. Minhyun drops Jonghyun’s hand as if he’s been scalded, muttering apologies even as he flushes red to the tips of his ears.

 

“Won’t you take a seat?” Jonghyun asks, eyes imploring and Minhyun sits because he could never say no to those eyes, would probably happily fling himself in front of a car if Jonghyun asked him with that look and that sweet smile.

 

His phone vibrates in his pocket and he pulls it out with a quick apology to Jonghyun for being rude. He’s glad to have something else to focus on for the moment though, he needs to gather himself, needs a few seconds to collect the tattered remains of his sanity and reason. He unlocked the screen with clammy hands to find a text message from Seongwoo, a single line staring at him mockingly from the glowing screen.

 

 

 

_It’s my birthday and you know how much I love the gift of giving, right? We’ll be there 11:30 (:_ _Enjoy~_

 

 

 

Yup. Ong Seongwoo was dead. He was going to die because Minhyun was going to murder him when he walked through the restaurant doors. He tucks his phone away, looks up at the perfection that is Kim Jonghyun smiling at him serenely, and wills himself not to run like a coward. Correction, Ong Seongwoo was only going to die if Minhyun survives for the next twenty-odd minutes alone with Kim Jonghyun.

 

Minhyun scrounges up a smile even as he continue to plot murder. He really really hated his friends sometimes.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this chapter hours ago but couldn't think of a bad coffee pun to go with it, priorities right?
> 
> On that note, if you guys can think of any, please please please throw some my way. Much appreciated!


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